- Nexus Crossing -
by Kaabisteru
Summary: A hotblooded Dex-holder winds up in a modern, yet strange dimension for reasons unknown. Meeting a half-elf mage as cheerful as himself and a young knight boy trained with very developed sense of rhythm, they all embark on journey to explore the continent before them. (Curr: Chapter 8)
1. - Dream -

_She remembered nothing._

Any memories of who she was were gone- they were deemed too much full of regret and shame.

_However... this world... felt like a paradise._

_Just by how it just melted away tension. _

_Negativity. Stress._

What they became now was a light that shone throughout the cloudy vision before her. It was massively huge: radiation was brightly on the center. Around it circled it's wandering orphanage: the wispy clouds that molded and shaped like a slowly playing lullaby.

Soothing tranquility droned intoxicatingly in her ears. All the tension that were collected during her living were released all once around her into caressing, gentle touches of air.

_The way they calmed her soul, body and mind... it was beyond her senses and imagination. _

She could have been anyone before. But she knew no past life.  
Nothing mattered. It all would lead into this world she fell in deep, passionate lo_ve with. _

Her feelings released themselves from her open arms: they would vapor away wispfully high above.

_Dissolve into air._

_Sprinkle all over her vision like winds of powder snow. What used to be whitish clouds and light... became sunset orange._

_"I... want... to... stay... _

_Forever..._

_Fo...reve...r..._

_A...n...d..."_

_Her vision seemed to look down: the clouds below her which shaped and moved... the only remains of the painful, anxious future._

_Hunger and sleep were the remaining, forbidden elements to enter this world: naturally they would be converted for for creating much more beautiful landscapes._

_The girl watched them shaping into hazy, slowly moving shapes- trees of fruit sprouted and flourished with a single, but silent poof._

She directed herself to the ground: her toes touched the wispy, but unimaginably soft cloud. How it made her feel bouncy inside: a hop after waltzing hop followed as she traversed gleefully in the cloudy, dreamy platforms inhabiting this heavenly land.

_She couldn't feel time._

Yet however, she had to come to a full stop all of a sudden.

_A giant tree stood far before her on a small plain enshrouded by clouds._

Her eyes made a wondrous expression:  
There was actually another young girl sitting on one of the roots.

With a curious smile, she stepped on the plain and was about to approach her calmly. Yet she stopped to feel the grass below her feet.

They felt extraordinarily alive: as they collected nutrients from the ground, the wet, dewy blades gurgled in her ears like calming stream inside a forest.  
It almost overwhelmed her: she had to be careful to not lose her balance while walking closer to the tree.

But it didn't unwind at all. The sensation became even stronger and multi-faceted.  
The tree's breathing through it's leaves: it was as if millions of beautiful maidens slept calmly together on their place.  
Animals' cries echoed somewhere far away, despite the plains being wholly devoid of wildlife.

And now, she had reached the tree, barely keeping herself on her feet: the gurgling became much more heavier and convoluted for her to carry.  
Indeed, to her the sensation had become so strong and heart-rending... yet somehow it was full of a soothingly cosy feeling of safety: familiarity.

She knew this tree. But she couldn't recall where. Right now however, all of her energy had been spent.  
The whole body slumped slowly: willingly, on the silky, comfy grass.

Her eyes closed. She thought new thoughts: where would she drift away now this time...

_Gradually, a dream would open before her._

* * *

Safety.

_Comfort. Comfiness._

_Arche_ was sure she felt all that while traveling through this new region. It was set on a seaside, and was filled with picturesque towns that were as inviting as they were pleasant to sit down on and have a good chat with simmering tea under a cozy booth.

She lied on the grass, staring at the stars on the bluish black night sky with her broom right next to her. Arche soon clutched her hands on them- as if getting suddenly protecting about her most precious property.  
The witch let out an uneasy sigh: this wasn't anything like her at all. What if she'd eventually forget how cheerful she used to be?

She kept rolling and changing sides on the grass- until she grew sick of it. Getting up in a slacking manner, Arche walked to the edge of the cliff.  
A broad view of the city opened far on her: the mage tried to remember where she was now as she became more immersed on the scenery.

_Neomina._

According to locals, it was a coastal metropolis of the beautiful seaside resort, _N__eomi.  
_

Neomina was famed for variety of attractions and pastel-colored quirky settings it had sprinkled far and wide underneath it's supposed viridian nature. Stories told about the land once being mined foe gold, presumably explaining it's wealth and growth into the seaside resort it was now.

All buildings and cars glittered together, painting the horizon in lush orange and bluish colors. The twilight was about to fade away as the night fell on the hill she had settled her night on. Arche lied back on the ground again while placing her hands on back of her head, and listened to the humming traffic far away in the city.  
Today she made some new friends right after finding out she was separated from her old ones. She couldn't help being worried about 'em despite retaining her cheery attitude today- until now. Nevertheless the new companions weren't half-bad to have around though.

_Gold _was examining his food supplies and the sleeping bags. Meanwhile the Harmoknight was already about to sway to sleep as he was sitting beside an oak. _Tempo _felt still bit woozy from an encounter earlier.  
Gold turned up his nose with a mischievous smirk: he had hatched up a nice prank. Tiptoeing near Arche laying on the grass, the trainer whispered it on her ear.  
"Sorry sweetie, but I'm not in the mood right now."  
"Oh boo, I thought we walked in the same wavelength. What's gotten into you?"  
"Geez! _Leave me alone!_"

The witch moved away from Gold grumpily, crossing her arms as she did so. The trainer had to silence for a moment due getting startled so sudden. He got the gist of what was going on.

Arche hadn't still recovered.

It was back few hours ago when all three were traversing through the woods on their way to the city central.  
Out of nowhere, a hulky, shadowy beast appeared on front of them, knocking Tempo out of commission in a single slam.

Arche thought it would be over in a wink.

_It wasn't._

No spell couldn't pierce through their murky, hollow-like substance that composed their hideous, beast-like forms. The ice needles melted and then dissolved into air. Lightning bolts almost bounced off from the monsters, prompting the caster to move away startlingly. It was as all of her powerful magic disappeared straight to nothingness as it came in touched the dark beast.

Gold's Pokémon were no different. Explotaro the Typhlosion's flames extinguished straight when coming in contact with the enemy: same could be said about Gold's Politoed Poltaro's spiraling streams of water which went absorbed, leaving the beast as dry as usual.  
At the middle of the fight, Arche was snatched right during her despairing about the hopeless situation: the beast dangled her from her long ponytail, prompting her scream loudly in severe pain. The half-elf was so sure she was done: she cried out of helplessness, still confused about being off-guardedly powerless against the beasts of this strange world.

Luckily for her, Gold acted much faster than her presumed fate. Ataro the Ambipom rushed straight at the girl on Togebo's back, unleashing a swift yet hard Double Hit at her hair: the ponytail was cut quickly in half.  
After Arche had landed unconsciously on the ground, Gold knew that the situation was unrivaled for them: he _had to run_. Poltaro fetched Tempo from the little hole with his tongue, while Gold placed Arche on Togebo's back.

He ran. Ran. And ran. Until he was out of breath. In no time, he'd eventually arrive at the long cliff the three would settle on for the remaining day.  
Arche had been very moody since then- she completely forgot about her ponytail during the process. Not that it did help her situation any better when she found about them.

Gold looked at her for some while, still pondering what to say. He took off his cap and sat down beside her back. He'd soon glance up to the sky as well.  
"Uhm... _I'm sorry for the moment earlier."  
_  
Arche tilted her head slightly at his direction. She seemed to be all ears.

" It's just that I haven't seen you doing else than worrying and sighin' gloomily," Gold continued slowly.  
"Quite doubting you'll get any shuteye tonight."

Arche got up now. She touched the part where her ponytail used to reach before. Then looked away in despair and took a quick sigh.

"Well _duh-_ I still feel really helpless in this world."  
"Ah, c'mon. It's not like couple of unbeatable monsters should be able to slow us down."  
"But _I haven't even seen my friends in a while! _And I can't e-even_ ff-f-ight-_"

Right in middle of Arche stammering almost in tears, Gold grabbed her head gently and tilted it at his sight. He smiled as confidently as he could.

"_You know Arche, I'm sure you're not the type to get completely downed by things: already seen you being such this energetic, cheerful little witch, right?  
__You__ gotta keep up with that attitude. Because right now,__ it's the only way to keep you going any further."_

_So enough with the long face. I'm with you. And that rhythmic kiddo. We will be all right, believe me? _"

He gave few assuring pats on her back, got up and went back to finish putting out the sleeping bags. Suddenly he turned his glance at the witch again.  
"Let's go find the solution when we arrive at the city, 'kay?" Gold exclaimed, giving a thumbs up.

The mage started to giggle faintly: she couldn't help smiling at his corny-looking confidence. Nevertheless, laughter felt like a best cure to her now.  
She kept looking at him working in a diligent manner: gradually starting to feel soothing warmth.

Suddenly she remembered something she had forgotten to do long ago.

"_Hey Gold, come here._"

Gold stopped with his current task and looked wondrously at her. Nevertheless he arrived slightly tired.  
But it wasn't seemingly enough: Arche asked him to come even closer, and then close his eyes.

Gold fulfilled her request. Suddenly Arche took a hold of his face and left an affectionate kiss on his cheek.

_She giggled as she watched the trainer wobble towards his sleeping bag demurely and slump into it like a ballet-dancing man._


	2. - Rail Tracks -

The sun rose up the next morning: the campfire had extinguished during the night.  
All three weren't sure what the next day would bring. While Gold had insisted on finding out the cause for the global problem between him and his traveling companions, he wasn't really sure on how he'd do it. Before he could even get anywhere, he had already swept off to distant dreamlands.

The next morning started with a scream.

Gold woke up with his eyes all widened and almost tense. The scream didn't do very well on his dreaming synesthetically-whatever that was. Tempo had gotten up too and was investigating where the loud cry came from, followed by Aibo, Gold's trusty Ambipom.  
"**_Whaaa-t?!_** **What's going on?!**" Gold exclaimed, wriggling out frantically from his sleeping bag. The scream went through the air again, this time calling for help: it came far from the east side of the hill's edge.

Right then Aibo had noticed an empty sleeping bag. He grabbed his trainer's sleeve with one of his hand tails and pointed another to the resting place. Gold realized instantly.  
"_Arche...?!_" he thought out loud, dashing now towards the edge. Tempo and Aibo followed.

It took a while for them to reach there as the forest path had to be memorized again due the daylight now showing all the details and plant life of the forest. Two bushes seemed to have been pushed aside, prompting the boys and the long tail Pokémon to follow.  
As they looked over the edge carefully, they saw a big-winded, yet tight canyon ending near the hill next to them. Arche was holding on the her broom with her whole life, which had gotten stuck between the canyon's walls. Far below was just unknown greenery, but it appeared to look thorny.  
"_Guyyys! Could you help me out of this mess!?_" barked the mage.  
"Sure-sure, but you better tell me first, how in heck you got there?!" asked Gold. He started to reach his pokeballs while asking Aibo to go down and try reaching the girl.  
"_I tell you soon, just help me out, okay?! I don't want to get punctured!_"

* * *

It went well for Aibo, as he managed to make the mage grab his tail hands and pull her out with Gold's and Tempo's combined strength. Arche catched her breath as she slumped down on the grassy plain.  
"_Why did I even try..._" she murmured. Gold now came to her and sitted down, after asking Tempo to pack things up.  
"So tell me, what were you doing now when we were still asleep? And how did you even wind up in that canyon?!" he asked sternly. Arche got up, but looked anxious.  
"Well... I tried to fly with my broom a bit for some investigating the land so I could figure out a way to go to the city below." she told, "suddenly when I was in midair, the broom like, _collapsed _under me and before I knew it, I was falling through the air..."  
"And _you winded up getting stuck?_" Gold said. Arche responded by nodding briefly, looking rather worried. Gold became slightly alarmed.  
"I... I think it's best for us to get going, right now. You still remember what you saw up there, Witchy?" he asked, getting up. Arche had put her hand on her chin, while looking behind herself.  
"I saw something, I guess: there was this peculiar-looking railroad track going through a bridge from the west side." Arche recalled.  
"Then it's settled. We'll cross from there." stated Gold, getting up.

While the mage followed the suit and they started to pack things together, the trainer boy couldn't help wondering now what she thought of her current condition.  
"_Witchster_... you sure you'll be alright without your broom now?"  
"I'm not sure... though to tell you something, I'm sorta used to being like this... I had been in this sort of condition once, not being able to use magic and all."  
"You _were_?" repeated the trainer, lifting up his backpack.  
"Mmmh... happened during my travels with my partners in my quest. They managed to cure me from that, however."  
"_Is that so..._" Gold remarked. He thought it'd be best to leave the subject there. Tempo waved at them far to follow them before hopping down the road.  
"He didn't still utter a word to you?" asked the mage. Gold nodded: he had been pondering time to time why the boy kept being so mute on him, yet to anything around him.

* * *

Dozens of minutes passed as the surrounding didn't seem to change a bit. All three were still traversing through the woods, while Aibo kept on checking the surroundings above them for directions. They were seemingly getting closer as Aibo kept on pulling approving signs with his fingers on his tail.  
"So uh, what all kinds of magic you can pull off?" asked Gold.  
"You already said the answer: _all kinds_! I can make light explode, make the ground erupt, unleash the most ravaging thunder from the skies, and so on!Incase I can inform you, I'm a true master of magic!" listed Arche in a proud tone.  
"Yeah, from what I've seen all about you, you truly are a witch. Like, those who are always being talked about in certain fairytales." said Gold, "I found it so stupid when I was told that they supposedly don't exist in my world... And if they did, they were supposedly 'burned by horde of people on holocausts due their supernaturality'. What a bunch of bullcrap. I wish we could have something akin to that folk in our world."  
"_Oh_." exclaimed Arche deadpanly. She just remembered something which stung her heart a bit.  
"But really, I'm just so interested on you, I have never seen someone like you, you know. It's so wonderful." said Gold, his hands put behind his head as he walked on. The mage smiled rather flatteredly.  
"Thanks," Arche said gratefully, "I really hope I get to show you my magic after we find a solution to this situation!"  
"_Yeah.._." said Gold.

Right now, they had come off from the forest to a rather grainy path near a big river dozens of feet below. Far away was the bridge which had railroad tracks the trio was going after for. "Over there!" said Gold, dashing bit more near towards the edge and pointing to the bridge. "So we'll cross that, and hopefully we should be in the city anytime now!" thought Arche out loud, "anyway, after this, we'll eat, right?"

Gold's eyes widened distressedly.

"Uhm… well… I don't think we… have any food rations anymore." he said sheepishly. Almost instanly he was met with flat-out "WHAT" from the usually perky half-elf. "Why do you tell me right **NOW**?!_ Now what am I supposed to eat?!_" fumed Arche. "I thought it'd be unwise to tell you back then when we were still back in the hill!" "Yeah, but you could have told me after that, not right when we're crossing this railroad!"

Meanwhile the Harmoknight had watched them argue while also crossing the bridge, constantly alert. He noticed long time how Gold had been acknowledging him never uttering a word to him, nor Arche for that matter. For Tempo, his reasoning was something he had to keep a very well-guarded secret on: almost as if it was something fragile to himself. In anycase, he wasn't allowed to talk in any means.

But he sometimes wished to say something, exchange his thoughts with these two who seemed to get so well along, despite arguing at the moment. He felt like a complete strang- _no, even worse. _He felt like_ a burden._ The yesterday's confrontation with the enemy didn't really help much, as he was taken down by the monster much more faster than the half-elf mage was. _Squished like a little bug._

Remembering all that made little rhythm warrior sigh quite discouragingly. Pondering about what was this world he fell into before meeting Gold might be most suitable thing to do now. He stared at the train tracks indifferently: Tempo then waved his head very slowly back and forth, like a metronome.

His waving started to intensify: it was almost like the tracks seemed to move in the same motion as his head did. This motion reminded him of the steady chugging motion made by steam engines. It was rather catchy beat, to his resonating link between heart and soul exchanging rhythm into his consciousness.

Suddenly he was alarmed. Tempo looked behind him.

A smokey tower was traveling above the forest far away, signifying the arrival of a traditional steam-powered train, in the same steady beat as Tempo had managed to sense right before any of his currently traveling partners. He started to ponder very distressedly. What could he do if he can't shout about a train zooming straight at them? The two were seemingly still in a middle of an argument over food supplies and had Arche asking had Gold ever even caught any sort of game before.

All of a sudden, Tempo came with a brilliant idea. He closed his both fists together tightly, took a deep breath, and blew.

He let out a very screeching, high-pitched whistle- that of a train.

Arche and Gold were instantly frozen on their places. They looked behind themselves, only to see a train coming right from the corner. A jolt of panic struck 'em gravely.

Gold got an instant surge of adrenaline rush.

"_**TEMPO!**_"

He ran as fast as he could at the rhythmic warrior, catching him in middle of running at the trainer himself. Arche was already rushing towards the other end of the bridge, traveling rapidly on the tracks. Gold and Tempo tried to catch up to her.

The horns were now whistling much louder. The bridge's tracks kept on trembling even more rapidly, almost making it difficult to run without slipping one's feet through the broad holes between them. "**We're not going to make it!**" screamed Gold out from the screeching horns. In midst of the panicked train of thoughts, Arche suddenly thought of something very reckless. "**FOLLOW ME**!" she panted. The train's horns were now screaming very disturbingly and terrifyingly, like sirens of death.

Right when when it would have swept down the rhythmic warrior, Arche pulled out her broom from her inventory pocket, and grabbed both boys, pulling them down forcedly from edge of the bridge.

All three screamed in panic. Gold tried to reach at his belt, but couldn't get control of his spinning. He tried to grab the half-elf's arm, but was too far. Tempo actually passed out from constant spinning. Meanwhile Arche tried to position herself on the broom, now holding her hands together, as if praying.

_Suddenly a glint of light seemed to envelope her chest._

* * *

_Arche Klein (c) NamcoBandai  
Gold, Tempo (c) Game Freak, Nintendo  
_


	3. - Departing Sounds -

It must had gone long hours. The river kept on flowing: it glittered steadily of the sunlight reflected from the clear sky.  
As it gurgled, the river carried something what appeared to be two bodies, floating near the edge: one of them hitting a giant rock.

A splash was heard: then, a green frog-like Pokémon plunged up from the waters near the bodies, and pushed them up on the rocks. It then proceeded spray the river water at it's trainer, unconscious and all wet.

It took a while until the boy woke up: as soon he did, Gold gasped for air while struggling to escape almost fatal suffocating pressure in his lungs. After few vigorous and loud coughs, Gold looked around himself.  
Tempo was lying around in the corner, Polibo still keeping a hold on him. Gold got up instantly and hopped towards both- but unexpectedly carefully this time.  
"Partner... thanks." he smirked. He grabbed a hold of Tempo and layed him down sitting, starting to slam his back lightly.  
Tempo waked up after a few of them- needless to say, coughing out salty water as well. He looked behind his back while wiping his wet mouth: only to find out that his trusty staff was gone.

Distressedly he sprung up and looked everywhere for his only weapon: only to see nothing outside from the river and the huge cliff going up to the point where the dense forest stood.  
The kid's feet suddenly started to tremble: then slumped down with the whole body. He'd proceed coverred his face with his arms.

Gold became quite worried, asking baffledly what was Tempo looking for.  
However, he was interrupted by Polibo doing odd gurgling noises while digging his mouth with his right hand.  
"What are you doing?! We have no time for games! " he snapped while rosing up near the rhythm kid.  
But before he would say more, the froggy Pokémon pulled out what appeared to be a huge staff shaped like a note, and shone in light-violet shades of colors. He smiled proudly at him, hopping next to the kid sobbing quietly and poking his shoulder.

After Tempo thanking (mutely) the Politoed while him exchanging highfives and getting praises from the trainer, all three agreed on checking if the mage was anywhere to be found. Tempo made some anxious faces: but Gold's determinant expression would pull him back on the task more assuredly.  
The trainer was hopping on the rocks while guiding his fellow Pokémon around looking for the half-elf.

After a while, Togebo gave a quick sign from the above, pointing to the other side of certain trees on front of boys. Tempo catched Gold waving at him in order to follow along.

They waded through the mossy, low river waters : soon reaching what appeared to be a small grainy edge with lotuses and other river plants around.  
On it was the familiar pink-haired teenager, laying motionlessly on the ground.  
"_Arche!_" called Gold. Polibo and other Pokémon followed their distressed trainer as quickly, almost colliding carelessly with Tempo.  
After reaching the mage, Gold squatted down, examining around Arche little shakenly. He hoped now that the worst hadn't come on her.  
He placed his ear towards an area between her chest and her mouth.

It was way too faint. It was there. Yet it wouldn't be able to gold for long.

Arche herself looked pretty pale and almost emotionless. Gold coverred his mouth with his hand, pressing his skin deep in denial.  
"_No..._ we have to find help! Quickly!"

Explotaro was called out, asked to carry the unconscious girl: while the boys and other Pokémon would try to find the quickest way to the town. Togebo looked above again, soon leading the way to a road used by motor vehicles. Gold and Tempo were on it, picking up speed and following the road towards the town.  
The forest and other natural scapes would soon disappear for small, but dense built-up areas. Both would ignore the chilling sensation of the air breezing on their wet skin and clothes.

* * *

After many dozen minutes, both boys and the Pokémon would come down from a path leading up the the forested hills. Sinbo had more skip to his steps as he tried to reach the sun almost starting to set on the afternoon.  
A moderate breeze picked up the leaves, carrying them towards to what was revealed to be an asphalted road: leading to a white, arching gate of a sub-urban town.

The gates seemed to be open: Gold noticed that it had rooms for guards, but were empty. He observed Explotaro resting down, catching his attention to the misfortunate mage again.  
"A town's just ahead, we gotta keep going!" he prompted. Polibo volunteered to carry the girl for the weary Typhlosion, looking at his trainer with concern. Gold would soon nod at him, even walking to his partner and stroking his head with gratitude.

But as he turned towards the town, he was frozen on his place. Amidst of him conversing, a group of people had appeared in the town, almost all of the wearing some sort of black, hooded clothing, and were carrying what appeared to be bodies wrapped in black clothing as well.  
They walked towards a rightmost district in the circular plaza, which splitted into 3 directions. A chants of mourning cries echoed through the empty town as they disappeared to the other side. Otherwise, the town seemed empty: all stores were closed and almost every form of light or electricity had been shut off. Apartments were filled with windows being closed and curtained.

Deeply curious, Gold called back all of his Pokémon to their balls (sans Polibo) and urged Tempo examining Arche to follow him again.  
Crossing the street carefully, boys hid behind one of the tunneling corridors near a street leading to the district where the group had disappeared into. Soon they neared the end of the street, prompting only to go right to the other side.

Unlike Gold, Tempo felt the grievous, but empty atmosphere of the town: something, no, everything felt silenced, deeply shut about it. It could have been anything: feelings, voices, even the tiniest, feeble sound.

But if anything he could hear in his soul, it was subtle, accepting, yet grave sorrow. Something very catastrophic must had happened in this town. Was it something of an epidemic?  
The synesthetic feeling vibrated inside his mind pretty calmly: yet abnormally calmly so.

Before he snapped out of his moment, he already reacted to someone touching his shoulder, jumping back quickly while readying himself.

Before him stood a man with some gut on his belly and a mourning, bearded face. Tempo faced his critical peer on him and his companion who hadn't seemingly heard him approach: he lowered his staff down few seconds after. But he caught some stinking whiff from this man: something he couldn't put his finger on, but signed him being a veteran on surviving countless of nights due some sort of recreational trip.  
However, that man didn't seem to wear anything sloppy and dirty today (gladly) as he had some formal clothes to attend something akin to a funeral: a black long-sleeved suit with a striped tie and navy jeans. A checkered brown grandpa hat rested on his hands which were holding close to his chest.  
This man approached the boys some more and finally, broke eternal silence plaguing in the city.  
"Ya came here too, I presume?" he inquired in a disheartened tone. Tempo would catch some sort of nametag on his right side of the chest. It read: "Dee-Dee."

Now the trainer turned to see this man. Though drew few surprised glances on his attire, and would be seen turning up his nose as he stepped towards him.  
"What you mean?" he asked. A response to him was a deep sigh, as Gold watched the plump guy to looking all over his motionless friend. His eyes were particularly examining her face.  
"Yep, seems like she's one of 'em corpses we've been carryin' around since 11 am." he spoke after a moment.

Gold wouldn't believe what he just heard Dee-Dee. He must have been mistaking.  
"**SHE'S NOT DEAD!**" he snapped.

Aside from brief widened eyes, Dee-Dee's stern and cool face didn't disappear. He asked the brash trainer to come closer to the half-elf and observe for himself.  
Gold reluctantly obeyed. And then the next moment, almost recoiled back.

Arche's skin had become now about as pale as limestone. Not only that, but her overall colors seemed less bright, from clothes to her usually vivid pink hair.  
It didn't end there: during further examination, he noticed how her skin actually had pretty tight and numerous wrinkles on them.

Almost drowning on sheer terror and shock, Gold's mind went completely blank. The kid companion with him was holding back tears.

For a while the silence had drawn back to the town- suddenly to be broken again, this time by the trainer laughing in denial.  
"No way... you must be mistaking her to someone else..." he murmured. "This morning... she was so well..."  
The last phrase caught Dee-Dee's attention. Hands scratched his bearded chin.  
"Come with me."

* * *

Dee-Dee actually led both towards one of the apartments at the left side, and then stopped near a messy alley between them. From the nearest trash bin, he pulled out what appeared to be pretty giant bag with a shape of a person.

Without a word, he came to them and dropped the bag front of their feet. He then ripped the bag's left end open forcefully.

A wrinkled face appeared out of the pink bag. It was however, much worse than Arche's condition. The face was so old-looking and dried up that they couldn't first recognize that they were staring at a young girl's face.  
"That is my daughter..." told Dee-Dee. "I didn't want to let her be taken away by Hollows today... there's no way I won't let her rest properly, instead to be taken away by some monsters..."  
He just let the truth sink deep in both: watching as capped boy gritted her teeth, while the other younger boy, now tears, just stared at Polibo still carrying Arche around.  
Gold didn't even hear most of what the gutted man said. He must had implied that the mage was going what was a slow death.  
"How are you so sure?!" Don't you dare to imply me... we can't even save our friend?!" he belted in a flustered tone.  
"My daughter would be now anywhere else than in a damn plastic bag while dead!"  
"**Bullcrap**!_There_**_ must be a way!_**"

Gold witnessed something: Dee-Dee had now taken much more aggressive stance and was trampling towards her daughter's body, his hands stiff and fisted.  
"_You insolent..._ **disappear from my face! NOW!**"

Gold had thoughts of retaliating back in defense incase Dee-Dee would come any closer, but Tempo tucked his sleeve very forcedly and tried to pull him away from the middle-aged man. The kid had sensed the man to be almost in verge of tears.  
However, the trainer lifted his arm with no effort, not even hearing the loud thud of the little warrior landing painfully.  
"I have things to settle here, Kiddo! Stay out of this!" he ordered, almost about to grab his pokeball to get ready.

Least he would expect was enraged Tempo hitting him on the back with his staff, straight into his spine enough to give a jolt to weaken him.

_Next moment, he was blacked out._

* * *

_Arche Klein (c) NamcoBandai  
Gold, Tempo (c) Game Freak, Nintendo  
Dee-Dee (c) Kaabisteru_


	4. - In a Locked room -

_"So you're still sure she has got lost in this world as well, Klarth?"  
_  
_"Yes... as have we. I wonder if anybody else have winded up in this predicatement as well..."  
_  
_"There might be one... I'm just very worried about Rami. She must be out there all alone now..."  
_  
_"Who's this Rami you're talking so much about Sayo?"  
_  
_"Uh... an apprentice of mine from long time ago. I met her again after all these years recently."  
_  
_"Hmm. An usual goody-do-shoes pupil?"  
_  
_"Frankly, not quite. She's... in her own class."  
_  
_"Exceptional? Or plain impossible?"  
_  
_"I... guess... both. If you let her do her own thing, that is."_

_"How intriguing... but enough chitchat. We gotta resume our search for Arche."_

_"Roger."_

* * *

He woke up irrationally. When Gold fumbled his head, he tried to endure what felt like a pounding ache, accompanied with electric-like vibration.  
Just then he felt his hair being all in the open air. The cap, along with the goggles, were gone. Where had they disappeared into?

Slowly getting up, Gold glanced around: he had been carried near the portside of the town again, this time lying behind what seemed to be a backyard side near an abandoned shop cabin that looked more than hapless.  
It had become a late afternoon: the sun was about the set beyond the blackened mountainside horizon behind the city.

Just then he saw the same child who must have been the one knocking him out before: he had knelt down and was looking very thoughtfully at their lost friend, who he had placed on the marbled pavement.

At first, Gold was ticked off: he had to settle up what Tempo had done to him after not being able to take on Dee-Dee.  
Yet all of a sudden, a rush of anxiety, confusion and terror came back into him, rendering him unable to get up into any action.

_What was going on?_

_What was with the dying people in this world?_

_Would he and the rhythmic kid be next to suffer the same fate as Arche did?_

The more he thought about his next actions, how everything around them was still unknown to them... he knew that at this point, everything was meaningless. There was no way to go back. And now it appeared that...

_the only fate was to die._

Shooks of the head. Lying down on the ground.

His fists pounded the pavement furiously, proceeding to him bellowing out an enraged, yet hopeless cry of agony. This should be forbidden.

_He had no action, nor control, over his current fate. It was blasphemous, plain dirty to him._

To wander up in this world and die there was quite something: so out of nowhere, yet so painfully right. He was aware that life was unpredictable. A never-ending rollercoaster.

But this... this must have been a work of someone cold. Ruthless. A devil.

Because his friend didn't have anything to do with this either. Nor all the people out there who would soon be sacrificed to something Dee-Dee mentioned.

If there was anyway he could do, maybe even now... _it was to punch that unknown force to the face as hard as he could._  
Take him down mercilessly for ending up so many lifes of people just because this force thinks_ he can._

Without a moment of thought, he came up with was could be his last good deed, which would ensure that he'd be all set and restful before truly losing himself to this world.

Gold started approaching the kid.

In midst of mourning, Tempo had severe chills going down his spine as he felt a palm being placed on his shoulder. The trainer watched the boy looking behind himself and suddenly getting alarmed by his presence. But the trainer smiled, albeit trying to hide his defeated expression.  
"_It's okay... kiddo, it was to become this way to us, anyway. It wouldn't have helped messing around with the fat man._

_Screw that asshole who does this all. If just there was anyway I could live on any longer... I'd totally smite him._"

Suddenly Gold gestured the kid to get up. Then, he pointed at the forest path at the other side of the pavement.

"Go now. Go just far away as you can, and try to find help from other cities. We're going to find out what's causing all this: and avenge our friend Arche, got it?!"

Tempo was shaken. He turned at the Pokedex holder now, just to catch his defeated face.  
He was shocked.

Everything felt lost. Gold had somewhat of an inch left of his trademark enthutiasm: the main driving force for the former trio to keep on going.

It started to loom: _loneliness was just around the corner._  
But Gold wouldn't stick around very long either, after all. The loneliness would be eternal, after-life.

Suddenly Tempo felt a surge of new-found bravery: he shook his head rebelliously. Grasping the trainer's hand, he looked at him for long with determination.

Maybe he couldn't speak. But it was the cheeky boy's time to get up after he had fallen down.  
And Tempo was willing to volunteer for that. For sake of staying with his only friend left around, and for one fallen.

Gold felt conflicted at his gaze.  
"I don't want to lose you either."

Then Tempo did something he hadn't seen him do before: he spoke.

No voice came out. Nor sound. But his lips moved, phrasing into a following sentence:

"_Then... let's die together_."

Gold would see that Tempo was in verge of tears. After a moment of thought, he moved closer to the little kid, and pulled him slowly towards himself.  
He could hear it now. the voice of the Harmoknight was that of a young boy. The trainer would feel the little kid's hands pressing on his shirt, grasping around it tightly in inner pain.

After a while, both boys seemed to reach what was a state of acceptance. Maybe if some way, they could leave something in this world that would start a chain... an emissary enough to repel away the force that was draining their lives away by every breath they took.  
They smiled solemnly to each other, feeling the faint wind blow across them: after that, they turned at the half-elf still being even more paler and looking aged from her face.  
Both would proceed to nod at each other, and were about to take a step.

_Just then, a very loud explosion pierced through the air._


	5. - Escape to woods -

Of course both boys were startled by the sudden boom. Now the town was gushing with commotion.

It appeared as if there were people screaming after something, accompanied by very loud, but grouped running that echoed across the town.

The trampling of footsteps just grew even louder outside of the concrete fence: it must have drawn itself towards the plaza from earlier. Gold didn't hesitate any further.  
"_C'mon!_" he urged, taking Tempo's hand and dashing straight towards stonewall.

Thankfully the stone wall coming closer to both was rather medium-sized in height, looking enough to be skipped over by a single high jump.  
As both took adjusted their weight to the ground and sprung up together, Gold reached to his belt to take out his signature pool cue: he had seen his goal.

Poles with barbed wires, all tangled and encircling them. Reaching the top, he let go of Tempo's hand, and thrust his lance-like tool through them.  
But he was alarmed soon, however: the cue would soon star to slip through the wires, signing of a plummet down to the ground.  
"Uh-" he said in a sheepish tone, before feeling his feet losing grip and start to flail in the air helplessly.

Tempo was much more successful: with a hook-like tip on his staff, he got a hold of the wires and proceeded to grab the trainer's hand to prevent losing him to the gravity.  
As Gold thanked him briefly, they proceeded to kick themselves to the top of the wall and held on the non-spiked part of the wires.

_What they saw... was rather frantic, but indescribable._

A big group of adult people (probably from before) were now running near buildings, seemingly chasing what appeared to be a figure of a woman who agilely jumped around the terrains of their town.  
She seemed to hold something near her chest with her hands, struggling, and eventually succeeding putting it in her pockets.

But there was even more: before it seemed the group would get too close to her, she did something incredible: the woman would flash in white lights and glow in a blink of an eye before _zipping _to another position away from her chasers.  
The positions kept on varying, no matter the terrain: it would run on walls briefly, before tearing through the air again to appear top of a light street pole.  
She hopped on each timely yet in very graceful manner, flipping diagonally through the air multiple times. She wore what appeared to be black top and pants.  
After reaching to the last pole, she balanced her whole body on by her single hand and proceeded to slide down from it.  
Gold and Tempo couldn't get a word from their mouths. They just kept watching as the young woman kicked back into her dash and skipped over a fountain in few more flips on a plaza. She was about to arrive at the port: possibly to escape away from the clutches of the townsfolk.

However, there were guards already doing a barrier around the port, and seemed to point their firearms at her.  
But the way they did it was confusing: they didn't seem to even hold any guns.

Instead, they did what looked like a_ firearm gesture with their hands. _

Suddenly, their arms flashed in a green light: in an instant, they had now fired away what appeared to be green, waving energy bullets.  
Piercing through the air, they travelled in a high velocity, targeting to the thief. The woman had to jump away hastily: bullets trailed above her, colliding with the buildings far and creating gravel-shattering explosions. Screaming and folk running away from the pieces of concrete was immense.  
Gold and Tempo were about to fall off. Most of the people had covered their heads and ducked down around the plaza, while some had fled from the scene.

Getting up again, the women looked around the town, distressed. There were already guard forces drawing near her, ready to shoot at any second. Was this the end to her?  
Soon she glanced over the stone wall with her glassed blue eyes.

Amidst of observing around the scene, Gold had noticed that the woman had seemingly taken notice to them. His face went into an alarming frown: that thief started to now run towards their direction!  
"_We gotta get down!_" he cried in a defensive tone, letting go from Tempo and landing on his feet on the pavement. Tempo would follow the suit right after adjusting his staff out of the wires.

Right when both were about to approach Arche's body, they saw as white lights flashed above them and reflected on the ground. Gold glanced behind himself.  
The agile blonde's "zip" had now ended, rendering her all immobile in the air. She'd fall down with a loud and rather painful thud.  
As she was laid on her side, she was about to get up and escape: Gold however, pointed his cue threateningly at her, being backed up by Tempo second after.  
"**Let me go!**" the woman ordered hostilely: only to be yielded a cunning sneer from the trainer.  
"_You've stolen something, haven't you?!_" he inquired. The woman got up, Gold watching her every step carefully. She had to stay constantly alert of the guards who must be trying to approach her behind the stone wall.  
"_It-it's not your business!_" she yelled.  
"_Wouldn't care less! Stealing is **wrong!**_" Gold belted back fumingly. "_Hand down what you took!_"  
The woman plain refused, still following the movements of Gold's cue. After a moment her hand moved towards her pocked by an inch: but suddenly cancelled her act.

She had seen Arche. Her eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps_ in an interest. _

Meanwhile Gold had already caught her attempt to protect the stolen item. He pulled his cue slowly towards Tempo's staff. The little warrior got confused, but as he looked at the cue, he saw Gold's belt full of Pokeballs. He moved his staff little up towards the belt.  
"_Miss Toahl, we command you to surrender, or we'll have to resort on using laser arms on you. I repeat, surrender now **or we'll have resort to laser arms!**_" called out a stern man's voice outside.  
Suddenly Tempo felt something in the air again.

Gold looked down below him, hoping Tempo had picked up his signal. Gladly enough, a poke ball had now rolled down below him.  
He quick-stepped back and readied his cue. He thrust tactically.

For Gold's big surprise, electric crackles popped and flew around. After a flicker of flashes, the woman had zipped again from her position. The poke ball that was supposed to launch out Aibo to grab the item from behind rolled leisurely on the marbled floor.  
Gold quickly retrieved it, almost cursing and turned at the woman.

He was stunned: the blonde had come near Arche. She opened her arms to pick her up.  
"_You even... _**DARE-**"

An ear-shattering explosion boomed behind him, flinging him down on the ground to duck.

The guard force was back, having now pierced a hole on the stone wall. They pointed their fingers at the blonde woman.  
"Put that girl down now!" said the leader. Gold suddenly recognized him.  
"**Dee-Dee?!** You here too?!" he exclaimed, not even not taking notice that he was still in his formal attire. Tempo took that as him not being part of the actual force.  
"Out of the way boy, we'll bust that girl down."  
"_Don't tell me what to do!_"

The men were about to fire away. However, blonde was ready to it counter it: she picked the mage up and pretended to use her as a shield. The men dropped their "weapons" by putting their arms in a lower angle slowly.  
This managed to tick off the trainer even further: he now gritted his teeth and took more aggressive steps towards her.  
"I won't hold back on you! **Let her go!**" he screamed. Just about to near her however, he was thrown back by another surprise.

The woman had now thrown what looked like a measly striped pink-blue lollipop, which emitted out a large smokescreen when shattering on the ground. It enveloped through the area, forcing everyone to cover their eyes.  
Tempo however heard the crackling again far amidst of coughing, while Gold witnessed the lights flickering once more.

The woman had run off. This set both boys to traipse through the smokescreen as fast as they could. After emerging out, they saw the women going up a hill with a pink ponytail trailing behind her.  
Gold didn't hesitate anymore. He launched away Togebo in its poke ball at an upward motion, following with Aibo jumping on its back after the same maneuver on his poke ball.  
"_After that thief- no, **kidnapper**!_" he commanded. Both Pokémon were on it with assured but vigilant expressions, watching as Gold took Tempo's hand and run up to the hill towards the forest trail from earlier.

Nearing the start of the path going inside a forest, Gold watched the trees trail through him. Before entering, he had ordered Tempo to guide the town's guards towards him.  
He kept on observing around the place while hearing the trampling echoing inside the forest.  
"Y_ou're not getting away blondie!_" he yelled and kept following the path. After turning around at a left curve, he finally caught the woman in a narrow corridor shaped by the maple trees. She seemed to lose some stamina: the added weight of the body she was carrying was slowing her down. Gold saw his opportunity coming, like a Rare Candy open on the grassy field.  
He took out another ball from his belt and flung it rolling before launching it curveball diagonally to right side. The ball trailed from the grainy bath until colliding at a root, in which shot up before opening up in a flash. Explotaro hopped out from the light, whilst breathing fire to the roots that belonged to a rotten trunk of a tree.

A loud bonk was heard. Gold run towards it and saw the woman holding her forehead in pain. It seems like she had collided with the tree falling on front of her when she was about to zip under it. _Just as he planned. _  
Explotaro now backing him up (flares burning with more vigor than ever), Gold took out his cue again and pinned the girl down with it by pulling the cloth from her right shoulder.  
"_Let the girl go!_" he demanded. The woman obeyed, putting her down gently and raised her arms.  
"Whatever, just do as you please. You all could just _die anyway..._"

Gold was jolted with slight anxiety. He pressed the girl down even more forcefully.  
"So will you, right?! _You're one to talk, blondie!_"  
"Here's some news for you: I won't. Take that or leave it. So were you going to let me go?!"

Gold raised his eyebrows perplexedly. It seemed like the woman was aware of something...  
Something that might lead him towards the force that has been plaguing him and other people.  
"You... you know something about the dying guys' condition?"  
"Ooohh! Am I hearing someone being actually curious?"  
"_Shut up!_"  
"Yeah, tough luck trying to get that out brat. I'll be caught soon, _remember?_"

Gold hissed in frustration. That blonde was trying to push some work on him to get the truth. How wily of her. Gold gritted his teeth while sweatdrop ran down his cheek.

"_You better **not **make me regret this._"

* * *

Tempo had was just nearing the left curve of the path, leading the guard forces in dark blue uniforms and berets along with Dee-Dee following next to him.  
"That cheeky kid better have caught that girl. She's been stealing a lot lately..." said Dee-Dee. "But I'm going to make sure this shall be her last raid." he'd add determinedly.  
Tempo nodded in agreement, now arriving at the narrow corridor as well.

However, none seemed to be around. Tempo was taken by a surprise, same for the Dee-Dee.

As the guards were about to investigate the corridor around, Tempo walked past a brown tree. Suddenly it extended its branch and pulled the boy silently beneath the shades of the forest.  
Of course Tempo was very startled, just readying himself with his trusty staff again. But he came to full stop after facing Gold, who gestured him to keep quiet with his forefinger on front of his mouth.

Meanwhile Dee-Dee had now noticed the little warrior being gone, glancing around for anything suspicious. Suddenly he heard one of the guards asking him to come over them.  
"What is it?" he asked in a deadpan tone.  
It was no wonder why: he just saw what appeared to be a measly sunflower on a plant bed near the right path from where the main trail had merged into two paths.  
He took a closer look to it, being right about to call off the guards for not wasting time.

Suddenly the sunflower's head did something unusual: it flashed in a very bright light, enough to blind the eyes of everyone staring at it all dumbfound. It snickered as it watched the men rub their sore eyes, and revealed it true face- a smiling one, if you will.  
"I knew there was something wrong with that thing! Get him!" ordered Dee-Dee, dashing towards the Sunflora. Sunbo however, hopped over the man and proceeded to flash the guards again. The men gathered close, one of them actually about to use it's "arm again".

Now the time had come: Sunbo whistled on the grass blade she had picked before. A loud command "Rock Tomb" went through the air. Suddenly a circlet of dangerously huge, speared rocks protruded from the ground, and had trapped all the guards around it.  
"Well done there guys! Let's get out of here!" called out Gold, emerging from the woods. Tempo had now looked behind him, only to see that the tree from before was Gold's jolly Sudowoodo mimicking one of the forest trees with striking accuracy. The trainer would grab his hand abruptly however, the blond woman now following after them. Sudobo was now given the task to carry the mage.

Dee-Dee had now managed to recover.  
"Blast those rocks, damnit!" He ordered outrageously. Dee-Dee got up rather quickly for a man with some gut, and sprinted after trio.  
Meanwhile the men did what was ordered: after another gravel-shattering explosion, a huge hole was left for them to go through. Each of them went after their supposed commander.

Gold, Toahl and Tempo had now reached what appeared to be a mere wooden bridge going over a cliff that had a huge river below. All ran through it, watching behind for if Dee-Dee and his group would soon appear.  
Suddenly Toahl moved her arm towards the boys as to demand them to step aside.  
"Gotta do something quick." she said promptly. From her belt was a sheath, where she actually pulled what looked like a pink, short sword. With that, she proceeded to cut the two supporting ropes from the poles.  
Soon the bridge had lost its touch to end where they had crossed from and would soon hang on the opposite side of the cliff. Toahl nodded in relief and waved to the boys.

_All three ran off._

* * *

The forest trail kept on going, the orange sunlight shining through the holes from the treetops, darkening more and more as the evening twilight would seem to draw in few hours.  
From what the boys had managed to gather from surroundings, they were around higher parts of the woods again as they tended to come out to open air, finding themselves walking along paths on rocky hills that were high enough to see the city of Neomina far away again, along with the town that they just had escaped from.  
Gold was about to get sick of waiting now: the blonde insisting on getting as far away from the guards as they could before she'd open up to them.  
" I can't hear those weird guards anymore. And that fatso again..." he stated. "We're good now!"  
"I suppose..." said Toahl sullenly. Approaching Sudobo who walked next to boys, she looked over wrinkly Arche in an examining manner. Gold wondered why she had so much interest on his friend who was supposedly gone to after-life.  
"This is your friend? My, she looks pretty colorful, but rather ugly now... usual."  
"She's... a goner. Wouldn't believe that I'd-"  
"What are you talking about?

_She is not dead._"

Toahl watched as all boys' and Pokémon widened their eyes in huge surprise.  
"This condition what she is having right now... is actually just half-way there to be 'goner'." said Toahl. She had actually put on some white gloves and was examining Arche's face around.  
"Pweh, how do _you _know?" asked Gold sneeringly.

Now Toahl just glared at him with a very gold stare, netting a sheepish laugh from the trainer. But the more Gold looked to her eyes, he noticed that there was more to them. They signified graveness.  
"You... lost someone?" asked Gold. Toahl would nod soon right after.

After a while the blonde seemed to be silent. She tried to regain her emotional strength.  
"Anyway, on my explanation about what is going on with her, you have to promise you won't tell anybody. Is that clear?" she stated sternly. Gold had to wave his open hands close to his chin to calm her down.  
"Gee, what's the big deal? I thought they'd love to hear your 'secret'."  
"Well, it's not like they would. They think I've gone mad because I seem to attempt to revive '_corpses_'. " recalled Toahl.  
"_You guys seemed to talk a lot in asterisks now_."

A voice came right next to startled Toahl, possibly from Sudobo. However, it just cried "Sudowoodo?" in a curious tone after everyone stared at him. Gold, Tempo and Toahl had to shake their heads and brushed the voice of like nothing happened.  
"What a bunch of blockheads. I guess they don't really care to live or are just bunch of Mareep." remarked Gold, now resting beside a tree closest to a large, mossy boulder.  
"Mareep...? Anyway, can I ask you few questions about this friend of yours?"  
"Sure, fire away." replied Gold.  
"Does your friend possess some kind of powers? Like energy? Magic?" asked Toahl, meanwhile applying some kind of a white powder at a bare area on Arche's right arm.  
"Well I've seen her use a lot of magic if I recall correctly... and she already flew around a lot on her broom too."  
"Ooohhhh- is she a witch of some sort?"  
"Probably."

Gold now caught Toahl taking out what looked like a receiver-looking device. A transparent, oval adapter protruded from top of it, presumably acting as some kind of radar, since the geeky blond was now scanning the powdered area of the skin.  
"Let me see... life force appears to be _Mana_... source is from '_Yggdrasill'.._." read Toahl thoughtfully. Gold glanced over her shoulder, but just saw a bunch of binary code from the monitor.  
"What the heck are you blabbering about?! All I'm seeing is just a big bunch of random numbers!"  
Toahl just rolled her eyes in resignation.  
"You could really help if you'd stay away from me a bit, I'm trying to concentrate."  
"I bet you're bluffing... how one can read all that stuff..." Gold muttered in an unimpressed tone.

After a moment, Toahl seemed to be ready. She waved at the boys to gather at her and was ready to give her report.  
"So from what I've gathered, she seems to suffer what is her life force being wasted in the air and dissolving into it." she said. Gold and Tempo tilted their heads.  
"I guess it seems that her life force hasn't managed to circulate back into her home dimension, which explains why it's getting wasted, almost drained out of her in this world, and rendered her into this form."  
Toahl just watched the boys scratch their heads in confusion: she sweatdropped in awkwardness.  
"Sorry, I think I got bit too ahead of myself. But I'll try to simplify it a bit."  
"You better do, I'm scared you'll fry my brain with your nerd-talk."  
"I wouldn't hesitate to do that now if it means your cheeky brain loses its ability to _make speech_."  
"What was that now, _geek_?!"  
"Nothing... enough now. As I said, her "magic power" comes from her soul, which serves as a way to keep her life energy in. When casting magic, she takes that life energy and converts it into that magic energy.  
Each dimension has its own kind of a life energy, which converts to the signature form of power. That again consisting of that life energy, which inhabits inside every living and inanimate creature of that world.

Now if I'm right, this friend of yours, "Arche" belongs to the world called "Aselia", and her life energy is "mana". Her life energy however, isn't being able to circulate back from this world to her own."  
"Of course. This isn't her world, right?" said Gold, Tempo nodding in agreement. Toahl just raised her finger.  
"That's true, but this world where you are is different... it's supposed to be able to take in many sorts of life forms from different universes and yet be still able to circulate each of those life forms' essences back to their original roots. This again should establish a "link" between them and their world, essentially becoming an invisible vessel where their native life energy is drawn back to here for them to use.  
With that, they are able to step on continent of Waul without losing their ability to do vital things like walking, eventually breathing and so on."  
"_Continent of Waul_... I guess it's the name of this world we have dropped on, eh?" said Gold while resting his fists on his hips.  
"Yep... I'll tell later more. So yeah... I've been conducting a long-winded research to find a way to be able to make people get their life forces' sources be surging with energy again. Lately I've actually found a substance that could be my key to success."

Toahl had now put her on her left pocket and took out what looked to be a dough-like mass molded an oval ball, having a shade of milk-white color and being almost transparent as a glass.  
"With this, I'm going to surge her life force enough to force it travel through space and time until it hits that Yggdrasill-tree again."  
"What's that?" asked Gold in curiosity.  
"It's a mysterious but very absorbent and shape shifting substance of ever-holding mass. I call it '_Cobalium'_.  
"Cobalium... sounds like _Cobalion_..." repeated Gold. "So how are you going to do it?"  
"Before I'll tell... can I ask you something?"  
"Don't ask twice!"  
"Okay, here goes... are you two... perhaps... videogame characters?"

_The trainer gasped._


	6. - Resurrection -

Gold thought fixedly about Toahl's words.

_"You're a videogame character, aren't you?"_

After a while hesitating to answer due being majorly caught off and confused about the subject, he would soon ask her to not reveal anything about himself (NOR Tempo) for other people.  
Toahl would nod understandingly: exchanging these secrets seemed to finalize down their new-found comradeship.  
"Good. I'll explain now then:

_We're going to my lab and get her "resurged" back to life. This however, asks me to use procedures which need her best accomplishments and memories, made into videogames that the player world receives. If I can inject these mental energies into her life force, these should be able to revitalize her lost essences by subconscious re-stringing and then cause an electro-magnetically propulsed laser inside her which will travel back into her home dimension's life essence through hyper-spatial acceleration."_

After watching Gold and Tempo hold their heads tightly as if they had just heard enough for their already "fried" brains, she explained it once again in much simpler manner: if Arche's life force would get what were "links" back to her memories of her living in forms of the code in her "works", that life energy would go instinctively warp itself back to her homeworld "Aselia" in some fashion.  
"Sounds like a plan." remarked Gold, holding his chin. After this, all would be off.

Right now they all were crossing another bridge near a waterfall in an open inside a forest.  
But something still puzzled the usually hot-blooded trainer.

When he'd ask back what she was herself, she would refuse to get into any further details: she must have hidden something.  
Yet she didn't seem like a type for being an enemy: at least that type of a curvaceous, lean gal who had as much brain as her acrobatic prowess and build. It almost looked alluring to watch.

But he quickly shook his lecherous smile off as Toahl stopped on end of a long forest path, brim with yellow twigs scattered here and there around the rocks and grain.  
Reaching to the end revealed that they had arrived at a huge open place.

Whitish-yellow sunlight shone through the holes from treetops: pollen and dust floated slowly in the air. They hit near what looked like a shack made from galvanized metal sheets from top to bottom. A long, ball-pointed antenna stuck out from the hole on top, like a hairpin on a little girl.  
A stream flowed on the middle and lots of rusty scrap, probably from abandoned, complex machines laid here and there near rocks, tree stumps and other greenery. Some were even shaped and moved around to make weird statues. The shape of the figures- their theme told a story of a royal throne and their daily tasks.  
A tailor on his way to bring a black tuxedo to the castle. A butler bringing in the news for the king. Little children circling around a fat mistress, who seemed to hold her open hand close as if giggling.  
"Here we are now boys. My humble sanctuary..."  
"You sure tried to make it look like full of people, eh? What are you, a crazy hermit?"  
"Boredom asks no sanity."

A maple leaf fell down from the top: it swayed in the deep silence that took between folk thinking pensively what to do next.

The trainer started: he called for Sudobo and asked him to lay down, now very pallid, half-elf on the grass. Toahl got rather tense as well: she saw how Tempo had pretty haunted and anxious expression on him, touching the girl's wrinkled hand.  
"All right Miss... she's yours."

"Good... I really will pray deep in my heart... _that this will work..._"

Gold noticed in surprise that Toahl's voice had become more unsure and gloomy. He thought for a moment, even amidst of feeling grateful.  
"You're pretty serious about this... but if you wish to save her life, I will give it all I can to help you. You better get on with it."

"... _Thank you._"

She turned her head at him: her smile was solemn, but even more encouraged.  
The trainer grinned back appealingly.  
"By the way... I never asked your name."  
"_Gold_."  
"Gold... dunno how that fits for a hyperactive boy like you, but okay."  
"Does it matter? Besides I never liked my real name "Ethan" anyway... "

Right now Tempo had approached the blonde girl squatting. A placing of his left hand and an encouraging, mellow smile talked to her very vividly: he had all of placed his trust and support now on her.  
The young scientist felt uplifted thoroughly in her soul.

_This wouldn't surely be like last time._

_She wasn't alone now._

Her mind slowly dispelled off the clouds of discouraging thoughts and what-ifs. She looked radiantly, yet determinedly on her shack. The plan felt crystal-clear now.

"_Come with me._"

* * *

Inside a shack was all-in-one living room, with a kitchen set and worn furniture which seemed to have all been collected from a junkyard. Toahl however pointed that this wasn't the real place where her plan would take place.

She directed them to a metallic door with a small number pad next it. She typed in the code and pulled down the handle. It was a dark stairway down to a cellar of some sort.

After reaching the end, she opened yet another door: the boys suddenly had to gasp in awe.

In front of them was a white lab room, full of shut down devices and appliances. In the middle of the research space was a very huge, grey super-computer monitor with a colorful keyboard and all kinds of little monitors around it.  
In both sides next to the monitor was a smaller screen with few switches and buttons. The boys had to be very careful to not trip on the black, heavy wires that were laid all zigzagged on the floor. Some of them tangled around each other in certain sections.

"I knew it, you truly are a geek!" said Gold sneeringly. Toahl just shrugged it off.  
"Well then, time to break that sort of impression from me as you'll witness something phenomenal!"

She walked to what looked like a grey kitchen set and opened one of its bureaus. She placed what looked like a small tiara on her head and took out a pair of white sterile gloves.

"_Time for to do some magic._"

Toahl ran to the left side of the huge super-computer and pressed something behind its back: a click echoed in a room.  
Suddenly whirrs followed. She seemed to wind up something behind the machines back, with metallic creaks that would seem to boot up the machine.

Both boys sat down to watch, waiting for something to happen.

And it did.

Suddenly the LED-lights inside the computer and its parts were turned on, displaying a colorful array of lights. Monitors would soon show up green screens that had constantly arrays of numbers running dimly far in the background. Commands followed:

"_Launching Cobalium Energy Convertor V.1.98..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Mother computer set. All systems ready._

_Please choose the subject type:_

[**Living = Inanimate**] "

Confirming the command, she pressed few buttons quickly and then started to pull the switch up and down in a rhythmic manner, as if pumping up water from the ground.  
This seemed to fill up some sort of a meter in a monitor next to her.  
"_Okay guys... I need you to... put the girl... on that seat near... you..._" she called out, huffing.  
The boys looked to the right: there indeed was a cyan-colored patient's seat straight from  
a dentist's office. They placed Arche gently on it, noticing a big amount of radars and other devices above them along with a huge flashlight on the center. All of Arche's aged features showed more than well: slumped cheeks, expressionless yet somehow mournful, pained expression and dried, bluish skin tone. Her hair was now near cream white now instead of bright pink.

Toahl had now approached the boys. She asked them to stay away as she needed to remove some of Arche's clothes, for the boys surprise and embarrassment.  
"Is it like that necessary?" Gold asked flustered.  
"Sorry, but these x-rays aren't very suitable to go through most clothes at the moment: they had most of their power put on scanning the molecules and the life essence inside these people, which means that we couldn't put very much development power on improving the rate of electrons moving fast enough to form much more photon-"  
"Gaaahhh, _ENOUGH GEEK TALK! _Just do your thing already!" belted Gold out while holding his poor capped head again. Toahl just smirked maliciously while giggling.

After leaving Arche only in her pink underwear and flat turquoise top covering her chest and, Toahl went back to her monitor to do some more processing. A robotic arm with a visor on the end scanned the mage few times up and down with a red, pulsing light.  
Meanwhile Gold tried to curiously stare the sight: however he trainer's blushed face soon converted into more of a disgusted one.  
"Yiish, it's like staring a granny trying out some girl's underwear!" he murmured unimpressed.  
A second after, he exclaimed in pain and fell on the ground, feeling painful jolt in his chest. Tempo managed smack him on back of the head, uptight and disgusted at his friend's perverted manners.

Meanwhile the blonde, thanking the Harmoknight inside her mind for keeping the boy under control, watched the monitors, which were right now going through what looked like numerous catalogues of database directories that searched for something. Some names came through, like "_Namco_", "_Wolf Team_" and "_Fujishima Kos._"

After directories listing down "_Gotanda Yosh_." and opening another drop-down window keeping on searching, the monitor made a pleasantly ringing sound.

"_Subject Database found. Loading contents..._"

Suddenly many screens opened at once, creating around what looked like comprehensive HUD now gathering many varieties of images depicting the witch in her full glory.

"

**Player Character**_ [_Arche Klein_]  
**_Occupation__** [_Half-Elf Mage_]  
**Series_** [_Tales Of_]  
**Homeworld_** [_Aselia_]  
**Energy_** [_Mana_]  
**Notable Works**_ [_**/TalePhantasia/**_, _Tales Of Phantasia_, _Tales Of Phantasia: Narakiri Dungeon_, _Tales of Fandom Vol.2_,_ Tales Of The World: Radiant Mythology_, _Tales Of VS._] "

All these would be complemented from a perky portrait of her in the left side, to sprites even and animated footage from her "works". Some of them seemed to portray her in a rather different kind of appearance: with main color scheme being light-blue and more traditional clothing than what she wore currently. Toahl couldn't help smiling as she watched the boys "oooh" at her work.  
"Fascinating, and fantastic~! And by that note, onward to the next phase..." grinned Toahl enthusiastically. She clicked few things and wrote something in a binary code at a monitor in her left.

Suddenly a smaller window popped on front of the HUD, delivering a following question:

"_Confirm energy conversion operation with this subject?_

[**YES - - NO**]"

After confirming positively, another window came in presenting a warning about the following procedure, before all the monitors switching to a new desktop: it had much more clearer background, almost like in a clear, but colorful mist dwelling inside it.  
A huge banner was now loaded on top of the screen, reading: "Nexodicus: Hyper-Code Liquefying Crystallizer β." The scientist, re-adjusting her glasses, turned at the boys now.  
"And here we go. This will be a somewhat of a lengthy process, but I hope you bear with me. It all starts with this."

She took out the gum-like mass from before, now walking towards the place where Arche was seated on. Boys hadn't seen it before, but there was what appeared to resemble a pipe with a hollow opening to suck something in. Toahl now shaped the mass into a ball and clicked a power button which started up a moderate suction in the pipe.  
"I never told you about this substance more in detail, did I?"  
"Nah, but it must be something important, right?"  
"Yes. This is called _Cobalite_: it can suck in any kind of life energy and keep it inside as a vapor-like form." explained the blond.  
"With my liquefier device, I should turn it into an edible form for Arche to take in, essentially reaching her soul where it can reconnect itself on the rest of her remaining energy."  
"So it's like a reviving medicine?"  
"Kinda. Enough now, let's make haste!"  
She let the pipe suck in the little gum-like ball, watching as it traveled through many pipes above devices. Many air-tight flaps enclosed down after certain spots the Cobalite travelled through. Toahl went back to her monitor with the boys following.

Gold noticed now that the pipe ended to the mother computer for some reason. Toahl made few key inputs, and suddenly the Cobalium had disappeared inside the huge computer.  
But that wasn't all. Tempo pointed at the screen: he saw that the little mass had now appeared on the high-definition monitor, all three-dimensional yet seemingly consisting of pixels. It floated and swayed in the misty space in calm, horizontal motions.  
"Okay now, the second phase!" said Toahl while finishing another string of key inputs.  
"I hope those files have been downloaded already. Stay back!"

She glanced at the monitor with pink borders: it had a website open and had finished downloading some files.  
"Perfect. ROMs and ISOs are ready!"  
Gold's eyes widened in chagrin: he crossed his arms and appeared to look scornful.  
"Woah there now Miss, isn't that ille-"  
"Dire necessities knows no law, sweetie. Besides, if it's just for home use, I'm not breaking it."  
"- Wait, _did you just call m_-"  
"Shush. I need to concentrate."

Meanwhile Gold trying to brush off the blushing, but sour expression on his face, Tempo watched Toahl extract the files, namely the "notable works" listed before in Arche's database HUD. Then, she would drop them in a special directory that looked neon-green instead of basic blue of her desktop.

Suddenly new objects started to appear in the misty space next to the Cobalite. These all appeared out as 3D boxes that depicted the covers of the works downloaded. They floated in the same steady manner as the little mass.

Now Toahl stood up and looked at direction where Arche was resting. Suddenly she gulped a little.  
"And now... for the most difficult phase..."  
"Ya don't seem very comfortable with that..." remarked Gold little curiously. "Anyway Doc, what you plan?"  
"I need a sample of her blood." replied young woman, readying her syringe.  
"Blood sample? What for?"  
"It should also contain a sample of her life energy. I need it to locate the binary code files that are marked specifically to her memories, abilities and experiences." she explained, sucking the blood inside the syringe. "What I do shortly is to claim a copy of these files and liquefy the code inside them into energy."  
"And you then stuff that all into _Cobalion_?" Gold asked. Toahl rolled her eyes.  
"It's Cobalium... and yes." she murmured. At this rate, the boy seemed to become quite heck of a work for her now... just what did tick that trainer's mind?

After traversing back to the super computer, Toahl shook the little blood sample bottle and then inserted it inside another bigger syringe. It seemed to be for injecting the content out by the use of an air pressure chamber.  
Plugging it to a hole that she opened with another binary code command, she injected the blood out. Gold suddenly noted something.  
"So how ya gonna do the whole "binary code claiming"? Because I bet that works have more than enough to keep you entertained for maybe 50 years and more."  
"Not if I can do something about it."

The huge monitor's mist seemed to now receive what appeared like pink waves of vapor dissolving into it. Gold now watched Toahl wiggle her fingers briefly before pressing a red button next to the pink monitor from earlier.  
"Watch." she said.

Suddenly the boxes of "works" started to disintegrate into dozens of books, boxes full of codes and animated images and little folders. Each of these had a certain shape which corresponded to a group that belonged to the same "work". Some letters and binary code floated around after the "explosion".  
After that the pink vapor, possibly Arche's life energy, started to gather around certain books and files, radiating out from them in wispy, luminous waves.  
"That's her aura, being attracted to the same type of life essence that is written in these codes."  
"Gotta give it, you're actually bit of a genius." praised Gold mildly.  
"Gladly. And by that note, I'll take that as a real compliment from you this time." remarked the blonde.

After some numerous "drag'n'drops" of the marked files and stuffing them inside the Cobalite with a trackball, Toahl confirmed out commands to start up the "liquefying" of the files inside now giant stuffed doughy ball.  
She sighed: it was time.  
"Here we go now..." she said, bracing herself before continuing:  
"This is the phase where my last attempts had messed up badly. The coding won't liquefy too well unless I need big amounts of electric power to consume in order to process it."

Gold thought for a moment. He didn't know any of his Pokémon capable of using electric energy like that. But this wouldn't be an end to such a long-winded operation right now, would it?  
Then he saw Toahl taking out what appeared to be a heavy iron cog with a looping handle, and placing it at the machine's back.  
"When I give a signal, press that button and come help me spin this thing around... it should generate some electricity."  
"Pfft, no need for you to work out! My partners can lend a hand!"

He called out Aibo, asking him to spin the cog for Toahl. Aibo was right on the task: he placed his both hand tails on the handle and started spinning the cog after Toahl pressed one of the buttons.

"_Code Extractors all set._

_Virtual Hyper Looping Systems Status: All green._

_Electromagnetic Amplifiers set on full power._

_Starting Liquefying Operation._ "

The processing started: the solid content was seen crushed and disintegrating few times. Then, the whole misty space started to spin slowly. Gradually it became faster, faster and even faster, until the whole monitor just showed big amount of wispy pastel-colored energy looping around a giant, constantly contracting gummy ball, like in a sling.

However, something unexpected started to occur: the mother computer started to emit slight smoke from its top corners. Meanwhile the keyboard and the monitors started to send out tiny sparks and bolts out from the super computer, signifying that the computer was about to collapse.  
Toahl had now complete distress all over her face. She went frantically at Aibo and tried to back him up. Tempo followed quickly along.  
Gold was all baffled: staying a good distance away from the dangerous machine, he flailed his arms.  
"_What are you doing Doc?! Shouldn't you be he-_-?"  
"_It's not receiving enough electricity! Come help me out!_"

Gold was sure that it seemed pointless. Who would even be able to generate enough electricity to maintain some highly advanced thingamajig? The bigger concern now was that all of his friends were in danger if this kept up: the whole thing would go boom since it would collapse from not getting enough electricity.

He was almost torn. Looking everywhere now while ignoring the calls for help, he glanced at Arche again... and then back at the monitor.

Suddenly he had a hint of a solution.  
"DOC! _Go out there and get that blood sample again!_" he yelled in a commanding. Toahl's eyes went tiny with terror and confusion.  
"_ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!? DON'T IGNORE WHAT'S HAPPENING TO US_!"  
"**I AM NOT! _YOU_ ARE!**

_**THIS COG'S NOT GOING TO DO A DAMN TO THIS MACHINE!**_"

Toahl was deeply aggravated by this: this boy had just questioned her methods and thinking.

Yet from the flipside, she knew he was right: It didn't work before.

Reluctantly she left Tempo and Aibo to spin the cog still, meanwhile running at the mage to pick another blood sample. After that she dashed back Gold as fast as she could.  
"Any bright ideas Einstein!?" she fumed defeated. Gold actually snatched the syringe straight from her hand and tried to put inside the bigger injector from before: he had hard time with that though. Suddenly a bolt zapped almost over his temple, forcing him to duck.  
Toahl aided him out in panic. She demanded what was in Gold's mind. Gold answered:  
"If you say it's her life essence- _put it in that damn machine!_"  
"_Using magic inside technology?_! Impossible!"  
"Yeah-yeah, mister energy-importing-converting geek! It is impossible! Let us get bolted to oblivion while we're at it!"

Toahl realized she had no choice. Still swallowing her pride, she tried to thrust syringe straight into the hole near the pink monitor again. Few more lightning bolts broke through the machine, almost hitting Toahl.  
After realizing she succeeded, she ducked down and crawled away frantically, Gold following her as panicked.

They watched the monitor from far: how it started actually spin even faster than Toahl had ever seen it. Suddenly the planes of the machine started to shimmer oddly: they then carved what looked like millions of hexagonal marks.  
Soon these marks had patterned themselves all over the machines, glowing in red light sometime soon after. It pulsed as if about to explode.  
"_Get dow-_" yelled Gold and Toahl at the same time, before covering themselves.

They were soon engulfed by very bright light that boomed through the room.

Everyone was almost flung to the walls.

_One by one, they passed out._

* * *

The giant mother computer shut down slowly. Everything around its plate was now left with what seemed carvings from the hexagonal patterns from before.  
Gold lied near the kitchen set, same with Toahl who was a bit near other side of him.

Tempo had collapsed near the cog. Aibo was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly the huge monitor booted up again.

"_Liquefying Operation 100% Completed. _

_Preparing to eject Cobalite Gum. Please wait..._"

Soon the Cobalite was again transferred here and there through the pipe: it had now returned as much tinier, almost bit size. It was dropped on the round glass table near the resting half-elf, who had no idea what all sorts of commotion had been going on.

"_Manual shutdown activated. Set to 30 seconds._"

After a while, the trainer moved his hand, grasping the ground. He got up dizzily.  
"Awwww man... head feels hella funny..."  
He looked around himself, suddenly to notice that Aibo was gone.

"_Aibo?!_"

He ran here and there, before noticing a lone pokeball on one of the holes made by the wires. He could sense Aibo vibrating inside it.  
"Phewww... I'm glad you're still there…" He sighed in relief. However, he wasn't yet ready to feel all settled down as he had others to check around.

Toahl got soon up as well, Gold trying to be bit more careful to not touch her in self-conscious parts "in an accident".  
The lean blonde woman opened her eyes and also felt her head.  
"I feel like I've been exposed to some gas with low oxygen..." she muttered. Suddenly she glanced at the monitor, just right about to catch something on it before it shut down. Gold heard her exclaim in what sounded like a mix of disbelief, yet even bigger hope.

Meanwhile the trainer was trying to wake up the Harmoknight, Toahl booted up the super-computer again. She retrieved the report from the risky operation.

How much her face just beamed in relief and bliss: she actually took out her glasses and squatted down. Gold could now spurts of laughs and cries which were a pleasant mix of happiness and awe.  
"_It-it-it worked!_" she finally spat out. Gold came out quickly and read the monitor.  
"What worked?" he soon asked right after. Toahl collapsed on the ground.  
"The liquefying process is complete! Can't you read?! The Cobalite should be now in form of an edible gum for your friend to consume-!" Toahl barked, adjusting her glasses again. Gold had to let out "Oh."- that again a strange mix of deadpan awe. Tempo smiled with newly found hope.

Slowly they came near Arche, Toahl picking up the bit sized gum, which was oddly enough, now striped in green and white. Gold had to put on his disgusted face again, even if showing signs of flustered blush.  
"Someone has to move her throat so she'll swallow it properly." Toahl exhorted. Gold holded Arche's back while Tempo was given a task to make her swallow the gum.

_They waited._

_Waited._

_And waited._


	7. - Garden -

_"...c...h...e..."_

_"...c...e..."_

* * *

A voice?

Something tried to shake her from her soothing slumber.

Eyelids rose up slowly. She saw the sky again, watching it constantly shaping clouds and radiate brightly.  
Until a face came in the way of her vision.

It was the girl she tried to approach before. She had goldenrod, overflowing hair similar to hers: right up to the bangs, even if smaller.

"_Arche_? Is that _you_?"

The girl lying on the grass... she didn't seem to recognize what the other one said.  
Both had strong, glowing forcefield made of aura around their skin: the world they were in didn't have any temperature, rendering clothes useless.

"_Hey... you... why don't you... get out of here with me... and we'll go... flying..._" blabbed the pink-haired girl.

"What... what are you talking about?"

"_Does it matter...?_

_From what gather up... this is a paradise... And it seems... that nothing... matters... Everything I had before was thrown away..._

_But it feels amazing... absolutely... blissful..._ "

The pink-haired girl watched the other one do something odd: was it like that something welled up in her eyes?  
"_Y-you d-d-don-'t... rem-emm-ber me... d-do you..._" sobbed the goldenrod girl.

Now the pinkie got up. She rested her body by her hand and just asked carefreely:

"_Who are you?_"

The answer was concise: she was met with a piercing slap on her left cheek.  
A twist of her body launched her towards the tree and made it slam her head on it.

After falling down on the roots of the tree, she felt an unpleasant feeling all over her head now: pain. Strong and sharp as an arrow, it overwhelmed her nerves, shattering her eternal tranquility into million pieces.

She had no idea what she had said there. Yet now she felt, gaspingly, troubled of what was going on.  
Of course she didn't like it at all: she tried drift back away into her supernaturally zen state.  
Then, the girl fumbled the tree weakingly, yet instinctively. The sounds of the nature started engulfed her ears and her mind.

It was again too much for her, but this time within the gurgling, rasping of the leaves and the animal noises, she could sense it: the familiriaty.  
Her breathing became heavier and much heavier. And suddenly her eyes widened as if she was hit by a jolt of lightning.

The girl saw her life flash before her eyes.

_Her mom and her dad living inside a cottage. Both being separated from each other._

_Her meeting up with a group of world saviours while avenging her friend._

_Them all finishing off what they used to think was an evil overlord._

After enduring all of the visions in pain, yet subtly regaining them back into her soul and mind, she jerked back and fell on to the grass again.

She was a human with magical powers. _A half-elf._

_Her name was Arche Klein._

She got up anxiously. Where was she? And who was the girl she just met?

And most of all, why- _why didn't she have any clothes on?!_

However, she didn't need to ponder any longer as she remembered the goldenrod hair the other girl possessed.  
Within the realization, the soul suddenly welled up with very deep, sorrowful longing. She called her best friend's name out in tears: the one she so thought was deceased.

"**RHEA!**"

Arche's feet got up on her own as she looked everywhere for her long-lost best friend.  
And she saw her: taking now what thought was like a suicidal jump.

Her eyes became tiny with terror. She picked up her speed, almost not minding them collapsing under her control.

"**_NOOOOOOOO!_**"

Yet Rhea did. She leaped off the cloudy edge.

Arche reached the spot where jumped. She broke down.

Her wails of agony were engulfed by the heavens.

After what felt like dozens of minutes, her tears had ended. She uncovered her eyes from the open, wet palms.  
The next moment, she was sure she would have got a heart-attack- despite not knowing was she truly alive or not.  
Rhea was just looking at her face, floating right in the her above her. She had as yearning tears as her friend.  
"I'm... sorry... I thought you couldn't still remember me when I jumped down... but I heard you cry..."

The mage's thoughts raced only on one desire: getting hold of her friend and embracing her as tightly as she could.

After feeling a gentle thump as she fell on the grass along with her friend, Arche bawled again- but she knew it was pointless to well up on tears of sorrow.

Instead, her eyes were gushing with tears of joy.

* * *

Arche tried to dry her tears. Wiping though made her hands feel already too damp and wet from all of it before.  
The clouds far away had now cleared up a bit. Both girls had now rested besides the root of the tree, silently watching the radiating horizon.  
"Rhea... where am I?" asked Arche, stretching her sore legs. Rhea looked suddenly away from her.  
"I think you're now in heavens..." she would respond.

Arche drew a sceptical look on her.  
"So wait... I'm now... dead?" she said, her tone suggesting slight fear. Rhea looked down concernedly.  
"The way you came here... how you didn't remember me... I think it tells me that you weren't supposed to die yet..." she spoke in grievous tone." Whatever the way you did...  
I can sense it was highly unnatural one."  
"Really... but then... what am I doing in here?"

Silencedly the wind blew over the shrouded garden where stood the tree, around it two girls holding each other close. Arche felt like wanting to stay now here forever, despite feeling wholly confused and unsure of what became of her.  
"Rhea... can't I just... stay with you?" she spoke.

Now the half-elf was surprisedly met by serious glares from her friend.

"So you are saying... that you have nothing to do with your life anymore?"

Arche was taken aback. She tried to say something to defend herself: but instead, all that came from her mouth was some stuttering.  
Rhea however, was right. Her life hadn't ended back in the way she wanted, or was willing to accept like.  
"Are you willing to just sweep it away right from you? You sure?"  
"I... I don't know."

Arche wondered now: in amidst of being here, could there have been any methods to get her back from this dimension she was in, anyway?  
Still, she started to miss her friends deeply.

_Cless... _

_Mint..._

_Klarth... _

_Suzu... _

_and especially Chester... _

All sprung on her head like only remaining little flowers that would soon wilt inside her mind. They indeed would remain as rotting memories if she were to stay here forever.

Even the new ones that she met... Arche wished she could have known more about them: those two boys were such a friendly, outgoing folk. Gold in particular- he actually saved her life once and felt such a outgoing and rather likeable companion to travel with.

And what was the world that she had fallen to anyway with them? Didn't she want to discover it with them, after all the first impressions she got from it when she came there?

Hands coverring her forehead, she tried to remember what happened exactly.

_The train tried to run them through. She tried to save them by carrying them safely down the river with her broom._

_After praying that her powers would work for last time, she saw how her broom's brushed end seemed to glow in much more brighter light._

_Suddenly she could feel losing her consciousness... and even worse, not being able to breath. It's as if the mage's energy was drained from her after using maybe millions of spells without regaining her mana back._

Then lastly, but not least: everything blackened around her completely as she fell through the air.

Thinking back there, Arche wondered what could have possibly been behind all that. If her powers were this easily drained and deemed useless after stepping on "Neomina"...

No doubt about it. It would mean that her friends were in danger as well.

Arche glanced at Rhea, mustering up all her courage.

"_Rhea... I want to go back_."

The goldenrod girl soon glanced back at her. Her lips curved into a feeble smile.  
"I'm glad you do. You still have something undone, don't you?"  
"Yes... but after everything... I'll promise to com-"

Abruptly the ground started to grumble. Both girls gasped. Rhea looked quickly up.  
"Arche, look!"  
She pointed at the sky, seemingly getting engulfed by what seemed like millions of glass shards becoming mirroric plates.

They covered the shrouding clouds tightly, almost as if solidifying, trapping them inside. Even the shiny radiation from the sun far in the horizon wasn't safe: all the shards gathered together like a chain- as if webbing together to form many rectangular mirrors and windows all around the sky.

After covering everything, the whole land before the best friends was now all in dim darkness.

Yet suddenly, one simple spotlight came from the most highest mirror far above the tree, and shot itself right on the half-elf. In amidst of being flashed with such a brightness, she covered her eyes with her palm.

And then... Arche felt it.

She was being floated up, away from her friend.

No matter how she tried, the gravity seemed to keep it's grip well enough to not make any of her frantic movements any difference to the distance closer to the ground.

The half-elf now cried after her friend in distraught tone: denying that she was to be taken away from her right after she had just met her, beyond her understanding on possibility of how.  
"_Nooo! Rhea! I don't want to leave ya!_"

Rhea tried to catch her by a jump, but her hands couldn't reach her.  
But suddenly, she did something Arche had forgotten was capable of.

The goldenrod girl floated right towards her. It wasn't really fast, but it tried to extend her hand. She was some inches away from her as the floated right above the giant tree's top.  
Arche wiggled around almost exhausted to reach her.

"_Just... a bit... more..._"

They were now nearing the mirrored ceiling of the sky. After stretching her hand to it's most tensed limit, Arche managed to just tinily, touch the open palm of her long-dead best friend.

And within that touch, happened something very extra-ordinary.

All of the blackened mirrors became to brighten up: from more closer inspection, they lost what looked like black, snake-like scales.  
One after another, they would reveal Arche's memories again: but this time, showing what seemed like a montage of her most remembered ones from her "works".

Her struggles of trying to cope without her magic powers she suddenly lost after eating certain mushrooms from Ymir Forest.

Helping out Dio and Mel as one of the Heroes of Eternity, while coping with the painful loneliness after outliving her friends due her race's slow aging.

And lastly, many of the quests that had her paths crossing over with many others withing her "franchise".

The half-elf gasped deeply- almost bashfully, because she saw "her family". Where she belonged to. And lastly, what she truly was showed right in her eyes: all like a huge movie screens lined up together.  
However, she was reminded of Rhea again.

But when she turned to see her, she was almost in shock.

Rhea had now become what looked almost like much more matured persona of herself. Along her more sophisticated, more light-pink hairstyle compared to her, she wore a blue ribbon in a ponytail, and had much more beautiful eyes.

Arche wouldn't believe she'd say it again.

"_Who... are... you?_"

**Invitation to Danger - Pokemon 1st Movie**

The girl, her doppelganger, didn't move her lips at all. But she extended her hand towards Arche's chest. The mage felt the double touch her heart.  
It took her few seconds to realize because it was beyond her understanding and felt so supernatural.

Rhea was actually _herself_. _All along._

She must had been one of her very enclosed, subconscious memories that she kept deep down in her heart. But why did she look so different from her?

The girl suddenly smiled, as if synchronized with Arche must have been thinking. She started to open her luminantly glowing arms wide.  
Arche sensed that she wanted to embrace her: to finally reclaim back her soul that tried it's best to remind her who she was.

Arche couldn't help but feel constantly welling warmth inside her. She wasn't ready to die yet. Her soul was much stronger to let that happen.

The half-elf floated closer to her double and gently, yet very gratefully embraced her. She felt how her double molded back into her body: became one once again with herself.

Everything shattered instantly into pieces around her. Silently.  
Spinning her around as she waited for the light to come closer towards the living world.

Drifting higher even faster, she could hear someone sing a lullaby she was sure would never hear again..

_Even if there should come a time,_  
_when you couldn't sleep at night..._  
_because you were afraid of darkness,_  
_I will be gently singing to you..._

It was time to awaken.


	8. - Awakening -

The lab had been under a long-while silence. The dusk was about to fall on the forest.

Toahl started to worry now.

"_No... no..."_

Her voice almost fluttered, nearing to cry: was it now that the most worst had come, despite all the miraculous turn of events today?  
And even worse- to bear the memory of saving someone too late was too much for her to keep on with her current ambition.

Gold however, grasped her shoulder firmly.  
"Gee Doc, you give up too quickly." he stated, throwing his hands behind his neck laxingly. "That girl is quite a package- I know she'll make it through. Besides, you did a lot for her so far: so better finish your job, wouldn't ya?"  
"Well... I'm just..." Toahl stammered a bit, "I'm just not too used to such long suspense like thi-"

Toahl quieted down all of a sudden: she was sure she heard something coming behind her. As she turned at her patient, Toahl and boys would sense moderate rumbling coming from the girl's seat.

Little red sparks started to appear around Arche's pale skin. As they kept on circling and becoming more frequent around her, her body gained what appeared to be a hologram-like aura ring looping through her body while restoring back her youth to her face.  
Everyone gasped in surprise, carefully taking steps back.

Just then Toahl noticed something very hazardous about the mage's transformation. She pushed boys back protectively.

"**Get far away from her! Now!**"

Gold, even if bit annoyed by her sudden shove, went towards the kitchen set again and watched. Tempo looked anxiously at the girl as well.

Arche's aura started to discharge much bigger sparks: the rumbling became much more frequent and trembling, almost making some utensils and tools fall down to the floor.  
Even back where she was seemingly still unconscious, Arche had a very pained, but enduring expression: foretelling for the three that something very ominous and powerful to happen.

_Suddenly mage's body jerked on the seat in a heavy force- as the saviors watched it to build up energy, until unleashing an earth-breaking, red electric beam through the wall._

The wall shattered and exploded while dusty smoke filled the room. After the charge seemed to die down, a huge tunnel to underground was left behind, which collapsed under numerous boulders rocks above it.

The electric beam of aura accelerated into obscenely dozens miles of speed while traveling through ground, tearing through the forest: until it actually exploded into a hyper-spacial sonic boom, puncturing a cracked hole through space and time. Any plant life that came in contact with the beam were instantly obliterated into fire and died _instantly_.

* * *

Through millions of dimensions, the beam searched through the spiraling wormhole. After tearing another crack in space-time continuum, it appeared from a rocky canyon in a desolate road near Euclid: the scientific city of Aselia.  
It trekked through the mountains and plains with no sense of stopping: discharging, lightning-fast energy would tear just near the village of Toltus, until it collided earth-shatteringly into the Giant Tree of Aselia, _Yggdrasill_.

Amidst of people commuting in terror and surprise about the electric calamity that almost would have destroyed their home town, the tree seemed to establish a link with the newfound energy absorbing inside it.

A woman's voice echoed wondrously inside the tree.

"_She seems to not exist in this world... yet she calls the power from this tree along mana all around this planet..._

_If its aid she begs for... then it is aid she shall receive..._"

A moment after, the tree gathered in luminous light of energy, and sent the beam back in the same vein as it came from. The townsfolk had already evacuated from their town towards the Cave of Spirits far behind the mountains south from their town.

The beam, now engulfed in green aura, hit back to the same trail towards the canyon again, picking up speed once more into lightning-fast point before disappearing into a dimensional rip once again.

* * *

Gold was first to get up.  
"_Wicked_." he blurted out. The blonde and the little boy tried to get up too, even if both trembled as if being alert anytime to jump back.

They were struck with terror: all could sense the rumbling once again from far beyond the forest coming their way. Tempo gulped suddenly as he became very distressed and anxious from thinking what's gonna happen when the sonic bolt would reach back to them.  
"It's going to hit here again!" Toahl exclaimed.  
"Cut the exposition and get down!" belted the hot-blooded trainer, now shoving the blonde down on the ground to duck away from the incoming blast.  
Meanwhile Tempo became partially frozen after conjuring overly about Arche getting burnt to crisp soon: Gold had to pull him down too, cursing a bit while getting ready to hear another ear-banging boom rushing through the room.

The beam of bolt would soon strike to the room: the impact and the shockwave were once again immense enough to almost fling the folk considerable amount through air. The mage absorbed all the energy like a mannequin: left in a position where her upper body was raised up, she was almost about to fall down from the seat.  
Now Gold had to rush to catch Arche- ignoring her still being half-naked.

After getting a hold of her body, the trainer looked attentively at her closed eyes, now realizing the sudden change of her condition: she was wholly back to normal. Trying to ignore the girl's little alluring appearance, he called that nickname near the mage's ear.  
"_Witchy? Can you hear me?!_"

Toahl and Tempo had now approached both as well. As they glanced over Gold's shoulder, all would soon witness the girl groaning in huge uncomfort- as if she had slept for maybe years in a stone bed.  
"_Owwwww_... it's like I got jolted by Indignation or two..." she mumbled still half-conscious. "All of my muscles feel numb..."

Toahl's face brightened in bliss. Tears actually started to well up in her eyes for some reason.  
Gold turned at her with a proud, radiating grin on his face.

"_Told ya it would work._"

The blonde just nodded back gladly.

Of course, Arche had no idea what was going on: until she saw that she was only in her undergarments and her top. Complete with the boy holding her in a way that just smelt pretty foul.  
The pinkette had to scream while wiggling out frantically, and proceeded to punch the trainer brutally to the face.  
"Just wait until **you **sleep, **you pervert!** " she yelled, trying to cover her body. Gold rubbed his painfully swollen cheek after getting flung on the ground.  
"Damnit! Let me- _ugh_…" he tried to explain- but was soon overwhelmed by anger. She wouldn't listen anyway. Girls.

He stood up and walked away from her.  
"Doc, treat her to the end, got it?" he said while murmuring something irritated. Toahl glanced at him uneasily, but got into the task. Retrieving Arche's clothes from a modern-styled closed, she gave the cleanly folded clothing to the half-elf. Arche would grab them in a peeved manner as she went to look for a place to put them on without anyone witnessing.  
"And who are you anyway?!" she fumed, going behind a giant, lone metal sheet resting beside a wall. Toahl and Tempo followed her carefully.  
"Where in the heck am I anyway?" she would belt out from the sheet.  
"Um... you're in my lab. I.._. revived you_." Toahl explained while trying to stay in her usually formal tone.

Now all the dressing-up sounds died down. Arche was probably confused.  
"What ya mean? Was I actually dead?" she asked.  
The scientist didn't know what to say. This girl might be in for a long explanation. However, it didn't matter right now. She was still trying to get over the amazing feeling of succession at her experiment, covering her face while red hue of blushing emerged all over it.  
The girl before her was alive: she succeeded with _what had taken her..._

* * *

Suddenly everyone's heart jumped in the room.

Someone was banging somewhere far behind the cellar with very terrifying, loud rhythm.

All gathered together near the giant monitor, looking fixedly up towards the wall where the sound came from: Tempo actually had to cover his ears due it's drum-like noise.

"Miss Toahl, we're here for an arrest!" called out an echoing, slightly muffled grumpy voice.

Gold and Tempo instantly recognized the tone: It was Dee-Dee, along with his town forces from before. It seemed like the men were now using a giant log to barge in with, alerting that they seemed to have come back with even more fierce determination to capture the former thief.  
"This is bad..." muttered Gold annoyed, "That fatso better not get in!"  
"We have no way to escape, however..." Toahl pointed out, now sweating while frowning grimly.

Both had noticed now that Arche had come on front of them. With an open palm above her forehead, she was looking for something.  
"Where's my broom?" she asked determinately. Gold caught her plan, but felt suddenly conflicted and perhaps, worried about her. There hasn't yet been any sure sign if Arche had regained back her powers.  
"Witchy, can you show your magic a bit?" he requested calmly.

Arche had to raise her eyebrows in concern.  
"Wait- I don't think we have time for playing here!" she answered. "These guys might barge in any minu-"  
"Are you even sure that you fight against them?!" stated the trainer: now grabbing her shoulders again to get his point across.  
This time he didn't want to allow the mage to get into any more trouble and misfortune.

Then, a gloved hand had now touched his shoulder. Gold turned to see it was the "doctor", having rather assuring, but stern gaze that asked the mage to go.  
"If she's moving, then it should mean she's also, fully powered up. Trust me."

Now the banging had become more frequent, with some creaks of things echoing and even some fragile things shattering in the "living room".  
Gold sighed and gritted his teeth a bit. However, the mage already got fed up with the waiting. She pulled the boy's cap down his eyes, impatiently asking about her broom.  
"G-geeez, o-o-kay!" exclaimed the bugged trainer. "It's near those cleaning tools at the kitchen!"

After some moments had passed, all had gone up the stairs towards the same door out from the basement.  
Toahl opened the door slowly, turning then at the teenagers behind her.  
"So what's your plan?" she asked in a serious tone. Arche now grinned very confidently: it was finally her time to shine.  
"Leave it to me!" she exclaimed boastingly, "Let me introduce you to the most amazing mage in the world!"  
"_Perhaps in your dimension..._" thought Toahl unimpressed, still alert of the door ready to break down anytime far in front of them. The lasers couldn't pierce through the galvanized metal, the very reason her whole house was covered by the galvanized sheets of them.  
Gold however was fully excited.  
"Get 'em Arche!" he cheered, giving a thumbs up. Definitely this time, he'd witness the true power of the mage in its full glory.  
Giggling, Arche made a quick flying kiss-gesture in return.

As she was on her way, the mage watched the boy instantly blush in surprise while taking a step back. Looks like this guy seemed easily flirtable on top of being rather cute.  
Tempo couldn't have been more relieved and glad to see the girl back in her perky usual self.

Hopping on her broom's seat, she flew through the giant hole on the ceiling, which seemed function as the chimney. Appearing on the almost twilight forest, Arche balanced herself battle-ready on the space between two metallic upper sheets of the roof.

Meanwhile the capture forces had noticed the girl with a pink hair and rather old-fashioned clothes: it seemed odd that she held a broom: but Dee-Dee was the one in particular to squint his eyes most tightly.  
He must have recognized the girl- but had to then tremble in sheer disturbance.  
Wasn't this girl the one that he so thought was dead like his daughter was?

It felt absurd. Outright impossible.

In fact, it was unfair: for him who had to suffering over her daughter passing away.

_Exterminate that girl._"

The forcemen turned at him: slightly perplexed by their boss's sudden change of orders from before.  
"But... sir, we have still that thief to capt-"  
"Enough! You must take that girl down first!" commanded the plump lieutenant." She's clearly defending the thief's home, so get to work, and **blast her to smithereens.**"

The orders didn't go unheard from the half-elf: her mouth curved into a mischievous smile.  
Soon she'd marvel at her spells flying around like fireworks of destruction as they'd beat up those men below- _hopefully._

She leaped and grabbed a hold of her broom. Suddenly the familiar breezes brushed on her body once again.  
"Yaaay~!" she rejoiced. "_I can fly again!_"

That floaty yet pretty gentle feeling that titillated her body as she jetted herself through the air... indeed, she was the almighty commander of her broom, like she had always been.  
Arche however, wasn't completely dumb to write herself truly recovered since not making even sure if she could use magic yet.  
But her mana seemed to flow throughout her body and soul: on top of being back to normal, in the same usual balance as she always sensed it back in her home world.

Curving tightly away from a tree while barrel rolling once, she snapped her fingers quickly: and there it came, a small but very vividly illuminating flame. And it ignited her spirits once.  
It was time to rock'n'roll. She couldn't help feel smiling almost vilely in confidence.

Now it was time for the men to gasp in wondrous surprise: this girl just broke their sense of reality- by flying on a household cleaning tool.  
"_What... is that girl?!_" gawped one of the soldiers.

Arche now circled around the men far above while now resting on her broom almost like a royalty sitting proudly in his throne. Putting on her hand on her chin like a mischievous, teasing mage she was.

"**_You're worst- nightmare._**"

By this time, Arche's partners had reached the ceiling with the aid of Gold's Pokémon (stacking on each other): they saw as Arche riveted right into her starting move.  
Charging in magic power, she propelled off, ascending diagonally over the scientist's house. Dee-Dee now commanded the men to fire away their infamous finger arms.  
"And _no holding back!_" he would add very strictly.

Bullets piercing through the air followed green flashes from the men's arms. They were almost blinding: Arche had to avoid these pretty distressed, barrel-rolling constantly while quick-dodging side to side. For "piercing laser bullets", they were certainly respectable, maybe in par with her experiences with Dhaos and his infamously brutal laser spells.  
She plunged in forward, now gliding over the men who tried their best to bring her down.  
Illuminatingly emerged out a red hexagonal mark as she was going to unleash her amazing spell.

"_Lightni-g-g-ghgh_-rgrr-**!?**"

The mage felt severe zaps of numbing pain piercing through her body; realizing that lightning bolt actually managed to hit her. Leaving her immobile, the white sparks dissolved off from her smoked body as she almost lost control of her broom.

Arche read the bullet rushing through the air near her and quickly spin away. The bullet landed on a tree, setting it aflame and getting enough cracks to fall off on the men. Arche flew pretty high above to quickly get a hold of her situation.

"_Ooof... Something must have gone wrong there... I gotta try it again..._"

It was true, her spells had backfired enough to her liking already... but to hit her back now was just crossing the line.  
Almost shaken in frustration and disappointment, she brushed off her bangs away from her vision and rushed down for another try... her friends were in huge danger after all.

It tucked her heart so warmly: perhaps, even _melancholedly_.  
Everything they did to keep her alive without hesitation and saving her, even if this mage's becoming borderline helpless... that had become her drive to keep on fighting.  
_The very reason why she avoided her demise, despite giving in to this world._

Unfortunately amidst her flight, Arche's body seemed to feel electric, pinching-like painful sensations: they almost bubbled all over her. As she whimpered in pain, her grip to her broom started to loosen gradually.

She felt something firm growing-almost protruding behind her head. It almost grew up over her forehead.

The scratching sensations of the leaves subsided abruptly: for now she noticed that when she appeared once again in the open place with the capture forces, a transparent, elastic barrier had formed around her entirely.

Toahl gasped in sheer bewilderment and slight fascination: this was beyond her reach. Gold was flabbergasted as well.  
"_What... in... the..._" he murmured, keeping his grip up yet almost jaw-dropping. Tempo almost fell down but was supported by Togebo reluctantly.

Arche was caught as much off-guard as the aggressors below her. They suddenly moved away from her. The mage realized immediately why: she was about to plummet on the ground.  
Trying to break her momentum had unfortunately no effect- however...

As soon as the barrier made contact on the ground, Arche felt very fierce impact ricochet her up diagonally- with no loss of her current high speed.  
"_Waaaa-**aaahh**_!" she yelled in slight panic. Hands gripped her broom firmly again.  
Looking behind her, Arche actually noticed that her landing had left something behind on the ground: it seemed like her usual hexagonal mark, but bit teenier and was green.  
Another thought now crossed her mind.

She touched her forehead.

Arche's eyes widened: _her hands felt a pair of goggles._

Same for her hair which was now covered a thin helmet-like headwear. And it didn't end even there: after her eyes finally getting used to the darkness after emerging from the treetops under the dark starry sky, she saw that her gloved hands had now evolved into much thicker pilot's gloves.

Of course this sudden transformation felt bit too much for her right now: but she couldn't sense it being anyway dangerous.  
After thinking about it further, little excitement and curiosity grew in her: maybe she could try exploring her new form.

Doing a graceful somersault and U-turning back again towards the fighting venue, Arche mildly placed goggles on her eyes.

"_Woaah_."

All of a sudden she had seen a radar opened before her eyes: showing every object coming towards her, they had become rather transparent and see-through due wire-frame structure on them. She could even see her hexagonal mark still on the ground from so far away, along with the men coming closer to it cautiously.

Behind them was the tree from before that was so set on fire and halved down due the damage from the former explosion. Suddenly the radar targeted around that object and opened up another screen. Above the sprite-animating screen was...

_A name for a certain familiar, powerful spell she loved to use._

This radar seemed to suit her plans- as if knowing her abilities and strengths in a battle. But what did it ask her to do?  
Perhaps, judging from the accident before...

"_Well then, now or nothing! Here we go!_"

This time, gripping even tighter to her broom than ever before, she launched off in a straight line, with a high burst of speed. Swooping through the forest and avoiding its trees never felt so fluid and easy to do before: it must have been these mysterious goggles that gave her an enhanced sense of accuracy and reaction speed.

The men saw the pinkette emerging out from the forest path where the small river stream disappeared into. They all fired their lasers once again, but for their dismay; she avoided all of them in swift, nimble rolls and dodges. Aiming at the broken tree, she embraced for the impact.  
Gold and Toahl witnessed the barrier bounce off with a ping-like sound. There would form another hexagonal mark, this time being the signature red hue.

Unpredictably enough, the green one on the ground started to respond to the tree. Arche braked on the air and felt something channel inside her.  
"A_-already?!_" she exclaimed, partially in amazement.

Her fiery spell... it had managed to set itself up much faster than she had expected.

Astonishment had to stay out now though, the men were about to launch another barrage.

She charged down, waving her arm amidst of glowing in pink mana aura, and let it rip.

"**_Firee- Storm!_**"

Her open palm unleashed away a spiraling vortex of flame blasts straight down on men. The capture forces were brutally scorched, some running towards the stream to extinguish their flames while some fell down to roll frantically on the ground.

Dee-Dee almost met the same fate as his men: However, something seemed to protect him partially as he was left bit unscathed. Arche couldn't see it however amidst of her  
"That girl... didn't expect her to be this full of nasty surprises..."

He ordered his men to retreat: at least ones that could move still. The others were left scorched around and perhaps, dying.

* * *

After everyone ran off to the forest path again, the whole place was a bit of a mess: Toahl's sculptures from before seemed to have almost melted in such a scorching heat, along with the greenery now being wholly on fire all around.

After making sure everything had calmed down, all three came out. Gold busted the lodged door open.

He had to give it, this mage had quite power in her magic: enough to send out Polibo just to extinguish the flames of the dense, currently burning forest around them. Seems like she managed to cast back a sunset too because all around him was no blazing orange.

Gold was so full in rather irritated thought that he didn't hear how Toahl was still gasping dreamily while muttering something about magic and amazement- along with nonsensical mutter that consisted of parts suggesting what happened to Arche and how she became like that.  
But the trainer did have no time for that as he was about to get annoyed by the heat drawing in closer.  
"Hey Witchy! Come down here and fix your mess!" he shouted in a peeved tone. Arche let out a slight groan. That's no a way to speak to a girl- and especially to someone who had just saved their lives. But nonetheless... the place **was **on fire due **her **fault.

Descending down slowly on front of the house, she asked folk to step back. She tried to channel in magic, planning to cast out a giant rainstorm. However, she felt electric pinching once again during her charging.

"_Unnngh... I don't feel very good..._"

Gradually the vision started to get too woozy for her, until she felt her body loosen up tension. Dizziness took over her sensations again: her legs had to kneel down as she felt falling backwards.

Arche felt the trainer catch her gently. Even if not wanting to admit it openly, she felt sorry.  
It seems like there wouldn't be any stopping for her friends to worry about her well-being all the time...  
_  
_

_Resting her head on his arms, she passed out._

* * *

_Arche Klein (c) NamcoBandai  
Gold, Tempo (c) Game Freak, Nintendo_


End file.
